Star Power - TBP Vol 4 - Star Power and the Lonely War

Star Power has to be the most under-rated comic book out there today. With super strong story telling, beautiful art, engaging stories, and characters you actually grow to care about, this series of graphic novels is probably one of the best comics out there - and if you aren't reading it, then you are truly missing out!  I first picked it up at a comic convention, and I've been faithfully searching these guys out at every convention and buying the new books as they come out because I am dying to know what happens next!

Star Power and the Lonely War is the fourth book in the series, and it takes our hero to uncharted territory - both literally and figuratively. Danica Maris has the Star Power, and with those abilities, the Millennium Federation has grown to depend on her. But now Danica has the opportunity to take on a whole new mission - to take a trip beyond the known galaxy. It is a huge unknown, and she will not have her friends and the Federation to back her up - is she ready for such responsibility?  And what happens when a distress signal leads her to a planet in the middle of a civil war? How will she decide which side is right and which side is the enemy? Or will something happen to make that choice for her?

Terracciano provides plenty of drama and adventure as Danica explores these new regions - and along the way, she has to get used to the upgrade that her Star Power seems to be giving her. She has no idea what this upgrading of her powers means or how it will affect her, but one thing is for sure - it makes for a wild ride!  Meanwhile, as with every story so far, there is more going on than just Danica's space exploration. Burke Tacken has been brought aboard, and Grex must interrogate him - will she have the strength to face a Void Angel, and how will this interrogation change her?  At the same time, Din Ailua is gaining all the insight she can from Legionnaire T.O.M., who may be the last sentinel to have any knowledge regarding the Star Power sentinels - but what will she do when she discovers that "Old Tom" has explicit orders to kill Danica is she does not measure up and found worthy to bear the Star Power?

Oh, yeah, there's also the fun clips of Psi-Cop, the over-dramatized television show about a sexy male police officer with psychic abilities that Danica's friends can't help themselves but watch. After all, every good space opera needs some humor in it, right?

Graham's art is as exceptional as always, and I think he did an outstanding job on the facial expressions with this book, especially those of Burke Tacken - a man who is dealing with the internal struggle of what he's done, what he's discovered he's been doing, and how he is going to deal with it. That struggle is so clearly seen on the page with every panel Burke is in - his eyes, his jaw, his entire demeanor in the panel gives so much more expression than any words ever could.  I can't imagine that is an easy thing to do, but Graham does it so effortlessly - makes reading the book worthwhile just for that portion of the story!

The only thing I can say I did not like about the book was the cover - and not because of the art, because that, in and of itself, was gorgeous! No, I didn't like the cover because it is a major spoiler! It gives away something very important about the story that I would have liked to have seen kept as a surprise - but, that is only a minor thing and doesn't truly detract from my enjoyment of the book, the characters, and the story!

RATING:  9 surprise mind javelins out of 10 for making comics like they should be made - with good, strong stories, appealing art, light-hearted yet filled with drama and adventure! This is what comics should be!